Explorations in Islamic Archaeology

Material Culture, Settlements, and Landscapes from the Mediterranean to Western Asia

Edited by Joanita Vroom Edited by Hagit Nol

Book cover: Explorations in Islamic Archaeology

Extent: 360 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Medieval Studies, Mediterranean Archaeology

Series: Medieval and Post-Medieval Mediterranean Archaeology

Series volume number: 7

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(July 2025)

ISBN: 9782503618722

Price: $100.00

In stock

Innovative perspectives on archaeological data from the Islamic world, ranging from present-day Spain to Turkey and Oman between ca. the 7th and the 20th century.


This volume presents contributions by leading scholars on various topics and aspects of Islamic Archaeology, a discipline which has recently seen the development of exciting new approaches to the study of the material culture of the Muslim world. This material culture was produced by and/or for Muslims, as well as by and/or for non-Muslims living under Islamic rule from the 7th century onward, in an expanding and ultimately vast area reaching from southern Europe to West Asia. The contributions in this book focus on Jordan, Oman, Spain, Turkey, Lebanon, as well as Israel, and cover a timespan from the 7th century through the Mamluk period to the early 20th century. They highlight the archaeology of large Islamic centers in the past, but also of the material culture in smaller sites and peripheral regions. Special emphasis is paid to pottery as one of the main artifacts that carry information on past societies, but other finds and materials are discussed as well. The aspect of Islamic material culture which receives particular attention is ‘production’, specifically the production of clay vessels, glaze, mercury, and crops. What unites the new approaches presented here is that Islam is understood as both a ‘religion’ and a framework for economic, cultural, and social networks and influence. In this perspective, the volume aims to offer students of Islamic archaeology, historians of Islam and archaeologists of different disciplines a glimpse of the state-of-the-art in current Islamic Archaeology.

  • Edited by Joanita Vroom
  • Edited by Hagit Nol